Chapter 30- Bloodthorne clan

As the pod opened up, Lucious could see that the prisoner inside was a woman.

She had silver hair, and dark red eyes. Two large bat-like wings protruded from her back and wrapped around her curvaceous figure.

Two little fangs poked out from her face as her smile reaches her pointed ears.

What's a vampire doing here? Lucious couldn't believe what he saw.

Vampires were native to the northern most continent Xelios, and very rarely left their continent.

Not only did they isolate themselves on their continent, they banned all travel to and from Xelios unless they had a special permit. Due to these restrictions, vampires were almost never seen outside their continent.

As they were a mostly unified race under a sole banner, it was easy for the Empress to enforce these rules.

This led to Xelios being the only continent that didn't suffer at the hands of the queen of monsters.

"I'm finally free from that damn thing!" the mysterious woman exclaimed before punching the pod into smithereens.

Lucious could feel an ominous energy coming from her as she did. He wanted to get as far away from her as possible.

Yet his instincts told him that running would be a terrible idea..

Just what in the world did I unleash. He cursed himself for coming here as she vented her frustrations on the remnants of the pod.

Each attack she made caused the ground to tremble, and Lucious found it hard just to stay standing.

"You! Are you the one who freed me?" Her crimson eyes turned to Lucious with suspicion as she started gathering her mana in her fists.

"Y-yes... I'm the one who opened the pod and freed you." His voice shook as he responded.

Her expression softened slightly as she dispersed her gathered mana. She could sense that he wasn't as strong and thus he doesn't pose a threat should he attack.

I know I should look away, but for some reason I can't... without the looming threat of being killed hanging over his head, Lucious was able to admire her appearance.

Much like the others in the pods, this mysterious vampire was completely nude.

The only thing covering this older woman's curvy body, were the large wings which were partially wrapped around her.

Sensing his gaze on her, she sighed and produced a black mist to cover her body. Strangely enough, the mist solidified and turned into a black robe.

"It's clear you weren't sent to free me, that look in your eyes tells me you don't even know who I am. So why are you here?"

Lucious nervously chuckled at having been caught before answering her.

"You're right, I don't know who you are. I came here looking for a prisoner and found your ... pod. It opened up on its own when I entered this room."

He wasted no time in explaining his mission and the unusual circumstances that led him to this moment.

The vampire looked at him sceptically as he spoke, she didn't know how much time had passed while she was imprisoned but he didn't seem to be lying to her.

"...So, some humans obtained her prison and have been capturing nonhuman races?" She asked herself in a quiet voice, though Lucious could still hear her.

Her prison? Lucious couldn't help but wonder who she was talking about. He had several people spring to mind, the main culprit being the Queen of monsters.

"Whatever, sure beats the alternative, especially if it means I'm freed. I suppose I should introduce myself.

My name is Bellatrix Bloodthorne, leader and founder of the Bloodthorne clan."

Bellatrix gave her introduction with a pride filled voice as she looked at Lucious with an expectant gaze.

The Bloodthorne clan was known to be a powerful clan on Xelios, and though travel was limited, information about the continent still travelled from the merchants and negotiators who received permits.

Among all the clans on the Xelios continent, Bloodthorne was one of the strongest and had been for centuries, so naturally Bellatrix expected him to know about her clan at the very least.

"My name is Lucious ... Sorry to be the one to tell you this, but the Bloodthorne clan died out two centuries ago."

Lucious knew it was a risky move to tell her about the current status of the clan, but he needed her trust.

She could be a powerful ally in the upcoming war if he were to play his cards right.

He wasn't sure how Bellatrix would react to this news, especially as she was the supposed founder of the clan. But he had a feeling that being forthcoming would be better for gaining her trust in the long run.

"It seems my hearing hasn't fully returned, because it almost sounded like you said my clan has been destroyed." As she spoke, Bellatrix smiled at Lucious.

...It's all for the greater good... As Lucious was mentally preparing himself, he could see her impatience slowly building as she tapped her foot while waiting for an explanation.

Lucious, while using the knowledge he gained from the novel, explained how her clan fell to ruin.

After her disappearance, Bellatrix's daughter, Isabelle took over the clan as her successor.

However, she became fixated on revenge against her mother's 'killers' and gathered the clan.

Using the clan, she attacked a rival clan that they had been feuding with as they were the only ones strong enough to kill her. Surprisingly, Isabelle won though it cost the clan heavily.

Many clan members, including those in high ranked positions, lost their lives. Isabelle was fatally wounded, and those who wanted to get rid of the Bloodthorne clan, seized the opportunity as it was the perfect time for them to do so.

As Lucious explained the fate of the clan, Bellatrix's expression twisted into one of anger and sorrow as she experienced a myriad of emotions within a few minutes, and a long silence hung in the air when he was done.

"...I-I see... So, Izzy is..." Bellatrix walked past Lucious towards the exit as she spoke, her voice cracking slightly.

It felt like just yesterday that she saw her daughters smiling face, wishing her luck in the upcoming battle. Especially since she was unconscious the entire time she was in the pod.

And now, it felt like her whole world had come crashing down. If she knew how to leave this place, she would have done so already and rushed back.

Lucious waited in silence as she digested the news. He had never lost anyone before, and so he couldn't imagine what she must be feeling having lost everything.

"Lucious, was it? Tell me... which clans were responsible?" Though he couldn't see her face, Bellatrix's voice seemed almost calm.

However, even though her voice was calm, Lucious could feel the mana surrounding her shake violently thanks to his skill mana sense.

Until now, this skill had remained mostly unused as his opponent's used aura over mana.

But for the first time, Lucious was able to experience what it felt like when someone else moved the surrounding mana, even if it was unintentional.

"Before I tell you, I have two questions. What is this place and how did you end up here?"

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Authors note: I'm temporarily putting the novel on pause due to health issues. Next chapter will be in a couple weeks or so while I recover.